The Halloween Night That Changed Everything
by make-each-day-count
Summary: A one-shot about the night James and Lily died, and Harry earned his infamous nickname "The Boy Who lived".


**A/N: Wanted to try a Harry Potter fic, considering it's my life. Just a one-shot about that fateful Halloween night. Read and review to let me know how it was, I'm curious to know! Thanks :)**

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_**October 31, 1981**_

The crisp breeze of autumn flew in through the windows of the Potter house, causing Lily Potter to shiver, as the wind played with her dark red hair.

"You cold, Lils?" Her husband, James Potter inquired, his hazel eyes filled with genuine concern. He was always too worried, especially with the war raging, and the prophecy causing chaos. He tried not to let his fear show, but he knew Lily could see through his façade. She was always able to see right through him, and he wasn't sure if this was a blessing or a curse. But this was Lily, so definitely a blessing, James mused to himself.

Lily shrugged, scooting closer to James on the sitting room couch, a smile on her face. He wrapped an arm around her, as he had always done, even when they were back at Hogwarts sitting in front of the fire in the Common Room. But those days were long gone, and everything had changed.

"Lily? You alright, love?" James said, noticing Lily's blank stare at a picture of the couple at their graduation from Hogwarts a few years ago. Lily snapped out of her trance and looked up at James. Sadly, she said, "I want to take Harry trick-or-treating."

James looked at her curiously. "Lil, he's only one. He can barely eat applesauce. He doesn't need candy. And you and I both know that's not possible." He said, his voice becoming a whisper at the last few words.

"I hate being cooped up here!" Lily said, throwing her arms in the air dramatically. James sighed, knowing how his wife felt. They hadn't been in hiding long, but he was ready for it to be over. He pulled her closer to him, and rested his chin on the top of her head. "I know, love. It's driving me mad. It's worth it, though," he said, squeezing her hand, "and soon, we can go crash at Sirus' place for once, instead of him mooching off of us here!" At this Lily giggled, and James smiled, loving her laugh, but especially loving the fact he was the one who caused it.

"You know what will make you feel better?" He continued, looking into her bright green eyes. She shook her head, and he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh Merlin, James! Harry is asleep! Not now!" Lily said, blushing. James laughed, and clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

"Not even what I was thinking about Lils, but if that's all you can think about with me near you…" He said, suddenly jumping on top of her on the couch. She giggled like a schoolgirl as she tried to wriggle free from his grasp, but stopped struggling when he leaned down to kiss her passionately. She gave into the kiss, and melted into his arms. He deepened the kiss, and a soft noise came from the back of Lily's throat, surprising James. He broke the kiss, looking at Lily and raising his eyebrows. She chuckled softly, and he laughed along with her.

"Shh," he said, into her ear, "Don't wake the children!" Lily laughed again, shaking her head.

"We've only got one child, last time I checked." She said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You know, there's only one way to change that." He said, inching his face toward hers.

As he was about to engage her in another kiss, there was a wailing from a room upstairs. The couple both sat upright, and began laughing at the situation. Lily quickly hurried upstairs, picking up baby Harry from his crib. She rocked him until his crying ceased, and brought him back downstairs to sit next to James again. James took Harry from his wife and held him above his head, making silly faces at the child. The young child giggled happily, and James handed Harry back to Lily.

"So, as I was trying to say before you started snogging me, I know how to cheer you up." James said, the usual mischievous glint in his eye present.

"First off, you started snogging me, you prat. Second, tell me what it is." Lily scoffed, attempting and failing to hide a huge grin from her husband.

"Well… you called me a prat. I don't know if you really deserve it anymore…" James said, a devilish look on his face.

"James, please!" Lily whined, causing James to chuckle. He playfully sighed at her, and she rolled her eyes. He went to their bedroom to retrieve the object he had been taunting her with. He plopped down next to Lily again, opening up the old photo album the Marauders had given the happy couple as a wedding present.

The pictures varied from the four infamous Marauders as young first years to James and Lily on their first date to the group after the Gryffindor Quidditch team had won the House Cup to the day James had proposed to Lily. Lily and James had filled the album with more pictures from their wedding and with Harry. Lily was in the middle of laughing at a picture of Sirius dipping her in a dance at the Potter's wedding with James looking on disapprovingly, when a loud noise was heard from the front of the house.

Lily looked to James frantically, her own fear reflected in his eyes. The front door burst open, and the cold wind filled the house completely. Lily was too stunned to move, but James acted fast.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!" James screamed, dropping the book on the floor, and pulling out his wand.

"James, I love you!" She said, as she started running for the stairs, up to Harry's room. She heard him say the three simple, yet meaningful words in reply, but simultaneously heard a cold evil laugh as well.

She shuddered, holding Harry, and charmed the door locked. She heard a struggle downstairs, and after a few minutes, things went quiet. Deep down, she knew James had not been the victor of the duel.

James was dead. Lily froze, unsure of what to do. The only man she'd ever loved was dead, and soon, she would be too.

But not Harry. No, she couldn't let Harry die. If the prophecy was about him, he needed to live on. He needed to defeat Voldemort once and for all. To honor the sacrifice his parents had made for him.

With the thought of Harry living on, she found hope inside of her. She placed him in the crib, and whispered to him, stroking his untidy hair that was so much like his father's and looking into his deep green eyes that were identical to his mother's.

"Be strong Harry. Live on for me, live on for your father. Never give up hope, Harry. I'll always be there, even if you can't see me, and so will your daddy. I love you, Harry James Potter. Be strong."

She knew as a one year old, Harry would never remember this. But part of her felt like he understood, so she just stroked his clean, unscathed, perfect forehead, as tears fell from her face into the crib.

She could hear footsteps in the hallway, and knew her doom was coming closer. She pulled out her wand, positioning herself in front of the crib.

The footsteps were now closer, louder, the squeaky floors indicating the intruder's presence.

The door suddenly flew open, and there he was. There was Voldemort, and Lily was absolutely petrified, unable to move.

"Expelliarmus!" He shouted, and Lily was defenseless.

Voldemort laughed evilly again, and Lily found herself at his mercy. She did the only thing she could think of – to beg.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"

Voldemort showed no feelings of sympathy at all. He smirked at Lily, and said in a chilling voice, "Stand aside you silly girl… stand aside now."

Lily stood her ground, wrapping her arms around the crib to cover it with as much of her body as physically possible.

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead! Not Harry, please! Have mercy, have mercy!" Lily screamed, tears streaming down her face.

Voldemort raised his wand, and shouted the curse that had just killed her husband, and after a flash of green light erupted from his wand, Lily Potter was dead.

Voldemort approached the crib and laughed, surprised that finding and killing the Potters had been so easy. He yelled the curse for a third time, and was surprised when the boy lived. Powerless, Voldemort fled.

The boy who lived lay in the crib and cried, the forehead his mother had just been stroking burning now with a lightning shaped scar, his mother and father lying dead in the house. Unbeknownst to the infant child, the words his mother spoke to him before she died would silently live in his heart for the rest of his life.


End file.
